crafandomcom-20200214-history
The Under-Empire
Overview The Under-Empire has been around since the weirdstone incident thousands of years ago, and some say may even be responsible for it. Hiding in the shadows there had always been rumours of people stolen away from dark alleyways by dark furred creatures. In the Winter of year 0, their time in the shadows as legend would come to an end. Filing to the surface in the hundreds of thousands, the Duchy of Bordelaux did not stand a chance. The nations allies did not come to it's aid, instead honouring their ancient allegiance to the evil rat-kin. The once proud city of Bordelaux lies now in ruins, renamed the City of Pillars and serves as the main entrance to the Under Empire from the surface. Other conquered cities were also renamed, Parravon was burned to the ground and renamed The Black Citadel. Gisoreux's destroyed bell tower lead to it's new name The Shattered Tower. Finally, the already dark history and name of Mousillion did not need changing as the vermin loved it. Class Structure The Caste System focuses heavily upon the colour of fur, which denotes the rat as being assigned a particular role in society. Those born with Grey or White fur are considered chosen of the Horned Rat and thus are presented to the Priest or Religious Caste of the Under-Empire. Due to their influential and political power, they are also the most obvious leaders amongst the Vermin Swarm. Below the priestly caste is the militaristic Warrior Caste that are composed almost exclusively of black-furred rats. Black fur is considered the mark of a killer and vermin of that colour are therefore given a position in society that focuses heavily on training these individuals into hardened warriors. Below the Warrior Caste is the general population of brown-furred vermin. They form the very foundations of society, making them the most diverse in terms of profession, quality of life, and social status. Being outside the Caste System, the brown-furred are often divided further into certain sects that focus on professions such as trading, building, and the crafting of weapons and goods. All of these groupings allow them to apply their urge for social climbing on a much larger scale, each sect battling for supremacy over the other. Outright warfare between these groups is not as common as many would think, simply because the Priest Caste often moderates hostilities between factions by use of terror and cruelty. In their case, the Priest Caste wants to ensure full control over the Under-Empire, and without some form of union, the Under-Empire as a whole can not truly exist. Religion All revere the Horned Rat. None question his existence. Such respect is a product of fear, for the Horned Rat’s eternal hunger does not discriminate between his vermin children and the dwellers of the surface world. A devout vermin utters small prayers to the Horned God throughout the day, each prayer being a verbal slice of hate, envy, or malice. These prayers are answered often enough to give the Horned Rat validity in the minds of his adherents, even in cases when divine intervention is obviously not involved. Blood sacrifice is common in the day to day worship of the Horned Rat. The vermin fear that if the Horned Rat’s appetite is not satisfied, he will devour his children instead. The form of the sacrifice—a slave, rodent or otherwise—is not as important as the sacrifice itself. There is no specific doctrine that governs who or what must be sacrificed. The sacrifice itself is enough to sate the Lord of Decay for a brief time. Young victims are considered to be the most potent sacrifices for the Horned Rat, while the blood of the aged and infirm is less desirable. Key Figures Lord Tyrant Graskk Putrid Priest Pankk Grand Magister Trassk Vermin Lord Skreech Slave Master Gretch Adventuring Parties Scouting party alpha